Loan Programs
Financing for the files other lenders send back
Self-employed income. Condo buildings flagged as non-warrantable. Closing dates that don't have any give in them. These are the three scenarios I built this practice around — and they overlap more often than you'd think.
01 — Bank Statement Loans
When your bank account and your tax return tell two different stories
A mortgage built for self-employed borrowers, business owners, and 1099 professionals whose real cash flow supports a payment their tax returns won't show.
Write-offs, deductions, and business expenses that legally lower your tax bill also lower the qualifying income a traditional lender sees. You know the money is there. The underwriter is looking at a number that says otherwise. A bank statement loan closes exactly that gap.
It's a non-QM (non-qualified mortgage) program that qualifies you on 12 or 24 months of personal or business bank statements instead of tax returns, W-2s, or pay stubs. Rather than net income after deductions, the lender calculates an average monthly income from actual deposits into your account.
This is likely a fit if you're a…
- Business owner with significant Schedule C deductions
- Real estate agent or broker with commission-based, seasonal income
- Independent contractor or consultant paid via 1099
- Freelance or gig-economy professional
- Restaurant, salon, or service-business owner running cash-heavy operations
- Borrower with multiple income streams that are hard to document conventionally
If a bank has told you that you "don't qualify" based on your tax returns — that's the conversation worth having.
How the income actually gets calculated
Most lenders will use one of three approaches — and the one your file goes to matters a great deal:
12-month personal statements
Typically averages total deposits across the period, sometimes with an expense factor applied. The shortest look-back, and often the cleanest for steady deposit patterns.
24-month statements
Smooths out seasonal swings. For businesses with an uneven calendar — anything tied to South Florida season — the longer window frequently strengthens the file rather than weakening it.
Business statements + expense ratio
An expense ratio is applied to business deposits, either a flat percentage or one supported by a CPA letter or profit-and-loss statement. This is where the biggest differences between lenders show up.
Where a broker earns their keep
The specific methodology varies by lender, and getting this analysis right is the difference between an approval and a decline. Two lenders can review the same 24 months of statements and reach qualifying income figures that differ by thousands of dollars a month, purely on expense-ratio treatment. A well-structured analysis, paired with the right expense ratio and the right lender match, is what gets a file approved rather than simply submitted.
Bank statement financing isn't just for single-family homes
It's used constantly in South Florida for condo and condotel purchases, including non-warrantable buildings, where a self-employed buyer needs flexible income documentation and a lender comfortable underwriting the property itself. Those two requirements together knock out most lenders — which is precisely why the combination shows up here so often. See non-warrantable condo loans below.
02 — Non-Warrantable Condo Loans
Financing the condos big banks turn down
South Florida is condo country — beachfront high-rises in Delray Beach and Boca Raton, condotels in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Not every one of them qualifies for a conventional mortgage. If a loan officer told you a building was "non-warrantable" and walked away without explaining it, you aren't out of options. You need a different kind of financing.
What makes a condo non-warrantable
A condo is non-warrantable when the building fails Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac eligibility guidelines. The usual triggers:
- High investor concentration — too many units are non-owner-occupied
- Ongoing litigation — the HOA is involved in a lawsuit, including construction defect claims
- Insufficient HOA reserves — the association hasn't funded adequate reserves
- Delinquent HOA dues — a high percentage of owners behind on fees
- Commercial space concentration — too much of the building is non-residential
- New construction or conversions that haven't hit pre-sale thresholds
- Condotel and resort-style properties with hotel amenities, short-term rentals, or front-desk service
- Post-Surfside structural requirements — milestone inspections, reserve funding mandates, and engineering reports under Florida's condo safety laws
Why this hits Florida harder
Florida has been especially affected by tightening condo eligibility rules following recent structural safety legislation. Buildings that were financeable a few years ago may now need reserve studies, updated milestone inspections, or full engineering reports before a conventional lender will consider them — and some buildings simply won't clear those hurdles in time for your closing.
That doesn't make the building a bad investment. It means you need a lender who specializes in non-warrantable condo financing rather than one who screens for it and declines.
Programs I have access to
As a broker working across multiple wholesale lending channels, I can reach portfolio and non-QM programs built specifically for these buildings:
- Buildings with active or recently resolved litigation
- Higher investor-concentration allowances
- Condotel and short-term-rental-friendly programs
- Flexible reserve and HOA delinquency guidelines
- Combination files — bank statement income and a non-warrantable building
The approval process
Property review
I pull the condo questionnaire and review litigation status, reserves, occupancy ratios, and the association's insurance.
Lender matching
The building's specific issues get matched to a wholesale lender whose guidelines can actually accommodate them.
Borrower qualification
Income and credit are structured around the best-fit program — conventional, bank statement, or another non-QM path.
Closing
These files need specialized underwriting. Having handled non-warrantable approvals before is what keeps surprises out of the last week.
Have a condo under contract that's already been flagged? Don't assume the deal is dead. Non-warrantable lending isn't something every loan officer touches — it's a core specialty here, and I work with buyers and agents across Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and the greater South Florida condo market on buildings other lenders have already declined. Send me the building and let's find out.
03 — Fast Closings
Closing on time when the clock is working against you
Not every purchase gets a relaxed 45-day window. Contract deadlines, competing offers, 1031 exchange timelines, expiring rate locks, and motivated sellers all put real pressure on a closing date. When time is the deciding factor, a broker who knows how to move fast — without cutting corners — is the difference between closing the deal and losing it.
When speed becomes the priority
- Competitive offers where a fast close strengthens your position against cash buyers
- 1031 exchange deadlines, with strict non-negotiable IRS timing
- Expiring listing contracts or seller-imposed deadlines
- New construction closings tied to builder completion schedules
- Investor and fix-and-flip purchases where holding costs make speed financial
- Relocations tied to a job start date or a lease expiration
What actually slows a closing down
- Slow or incomplete documentation — missing statements, unclear income docs, delayed CPA letters
- Appraisal delays — scheduling and turnaround in high-demand South Florida markets
- Condo questionnaire and HOA delays — associations respond slowly, and non-warrantable issues add underwriting time
- Title issues — liens, judgments, or unclear history surfacing late
- Underwriting conditions — back-and-forth on stipulations that could have been anticipated up front
How I compress the timeline
A fast closing isn't about skipping steps. It's about front-loading them. The process is built for it:
Same-day file review
Pre-underwriting flags issues before they turn into delays, not after an underwriter finds them.
Direct wholesale relationships
Multiple lending channels means matching your file to whichever lender is best positioned to move quickly on your specific scenario.
Proactive document requests
The full documentation set is collected up front rather than chased one condition at a time.
Self-employed file experience
Bank statement files are the slowest-moving files at most shops. With the right preparation, they don't have to be.
Ongoing communication
You, your agent, and the title company get direct updates so nobody is waiting on a status call.
Condo expertise up front
Association and questionnaire issues get identified early instead of discovered in the final week.
Rate locks and timing strategy
Closing quickly also means protecting your interest rate. I structure rate locks around realistic, achievable closing timelines and keep you informed if market conditions or file conditions create any risk to that lock expiring — so there are no surprises at the closing table.
Who I Work With
Purchases, refinances, and investment property throughout Florida
Based in Delray Beach and licensed statewide, with most of the work concentrated in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties.
Self-employed buyers
Business owners, contractors, consultants, and commission-based professionals buying a primary residence or second home.
Condo & condotel buyers
Including buildings already flagged as non-warrantable, in litigation, or working through milestone inspection requirements.
Investors
Rental property purchases, 1031 exchange timelines, and files where speed directly affects the return.
Refinance clients
Self-employed owners who were qualified conventionally before and want to look at what deposit-based income makes possible now.
Real estate agents
Agents with a difficult buyer or a difficult building who need a straight answer on financeability before writing an offer.
Buyers who were declined
A no from one lender is one lender's guidelines. It's worth a second look before you give up on the property.
Let's find out what you actually qualify for
A short conversation is usually enough to tell you whether a bank statement loan, a portfolio condo program, or a conventional loan is the better path — and roughly what your numbers look like. No credit pull required to start.